Rossi tries to derail the Payback Express

Saturday

May 28, 2011 at 12:01 AMMay 28, 2011 at 10:00 PM

After the Beaver County Commissioners’ boneheaded move to give a lucrative labor contract to Solicitor Myron Sainovich backfired, the Political Retribution Train got rolling against Controller David Rossi, who said the deal violated state law and who vowed not to pay Sainovich’s firm.

Courthouse Whispers questioned how Al Torrence, Rossi’s solicitor, could also serve as an assistant district attorney. Somehow, the thinking went, Rossi was being a hypocrite. We never bought the argument, but, then again, we don’t have an axe to grind against Dave.

?In a pre-emptive move we noted a few weeks ago, Torrence asked the State Ethics Commission for a ruling on his double duty, and he recently got an answer.

“With other people making accusations, we just felt it was best to have (a ruling) on paper,” said Rossi. “Other people” is, apparently, a synonym for “my fellow row officers.”

In classic government gobbledygook, the commission said Torrence is not considered a “public official” or “public employee.” Thus, Torrence said, he’s not subject to the Ethics Act thus his double duty can’t be unethical. Got that?

“(Rossi) is within his right to call (Sainovich’s deal) into question,” said Torrence. “There’s no double standard there. It’s two completely different things.”

Torrence said the ruling should put the issue to rest ... in an election year. Al, you crazy, cockeyed optimist. Don’t ever change.

BOY BLUNDER?

GOP state Rep. Jim Christiana was a popular target last week after the GOP-led House passed a state budget that ignores a $506 million surplus, and slashes spending for social services and education while letting corporations off the tax hook.

Fellow GOP state Rep. Jim Marshall voted for the budget, too, but at least he confessed to having “several reservations,” especially about cuts to community colleges.

The Boy Wonder called the budget “a correction” from the Ed Rendell years when the state budget ballooned 40 percent. “We could not sustain that level of spending,” he said.

Then came the House Democratic Campaign Committee’s two-day blitz targeting 25 GOP “politically vulnerable” House members, including Christiana, who just won re-election with 62 percent of the vote in a district that’s at least 60 percent Democratic.

State Democratic Party Chairman Jim Burn insisted the budget vote will have “severe political consequences for House Republicans in the next election.” Unfortunately for Democrats, that’s not until 2012.

It’s going to take some serious legs for this issue to last that long. Eat bananas, Democrats. It’ll keep you from cramping!

SEEN & HEARD

l Baden GOPer Pat Geho, former aide to (shudder) U.S. Rep. Melissa Hart/former state House candidate/former county Chamber of Commerce president, is the new director of legislative affairs for the Pennsylvania Department of State’s Office of Legislative Affairs in Harrisburg.

Geho and county Commissioner Charlie Camp were Gov. Tom Corbett’s main local supporters.

So if Geho’s landed a sweet state gig, can Camp be far behind?

l We hear various Democratic Aliquippa honchos gathered last week to answer this: “What are we going to do about Dwan Walker?” Ominous sounding, isn’t it?